bovine spongiform encephalopathy (redirected from Mad cow)

encephalopathy /en·ceph·a·lop·a·thy/ (en-sef″ah-lop´ah-the) any degenerative brain disease.

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AIDS encephalopathy  HIV e.

anoxic encephalopathy  hypoxic e.

biliary encephalopathy , bilirubin encephalopathy kernicterus.

bovine spongiform encephalopathy  a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy of adult cattle, transmitted by feed containing protein in the form of meat and bone meal derived from infected animals. The etiologic agent is also the cause of new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

boxer's encephalopathy , boxer's traumatic encephalopathy slowing of mental function, confusion, and scattered memory loss due to continual head blows absorbed in the boxing ring.

dialysis encephalopathy  a degenerative disease of the brain associated with long-term use of hemodialysis, marked by speech disorders and constant myoclonic jerks, progressing to global dementia; it is due to high levels of aluminum in the dialysis fluid water or to aluminum-containing drugs used in treatment.

hepatic encephalopathy  a condition, usually occurring secondarily to advanced liver disease, marked by disturbances of consciousness that may progress to deep coma (hepatic coma), psychiatric changes of varying degree, flapping tremor, and fetor hepaticus.

HIV encephalopathy , HIV-related encephalopathy AIDS encephalopathy; a progressive primary encephalopathy caused by human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection, manifested by a variety of cognitive, motor, and behavioral abnormalities.

hypoxic encephalopathy  encephalopathy caused by hypoxia from decreased rate of blood flow or decreased oxygen in the blood; severe cases can cause permanent brain damage within five minutes.

hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy  that resulting from fetal or perinatal asphyxia, characterized by feeding difficulties, lethargy, and convulsions.

lead encephalopathy  edema and central demyelination caused by excessive ingestion of lead compounds, particularly in young children.

myoclonic encephalopathy of childhood  a neurologic disorder of unknown etiology with onset between ages 1 and 3, characterized by myoclonus of trunk and limbs and by opsoclonus with ataxia of gait, and intention tremor; some cases have been associated with occult neuroblastoma.

subacute spongiform encephalopathy , transmissible spongiform encephalopathy prion disease.

Wernicke's encephalopathy  an inflammatory hemorrhagic form due to thiamine deficiency, usually associated with chronic alcoholism, with paralysis of the eye muscles, diplopia, nystagmus, ataxia, and usually accompanying or followed by Korsakoff's syndrome.

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bovine spongiform encephalopathy

n. Abbr. BSE

An infectious degenerative brain disease occurring in cattle. Also called mad cow disease.

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Bovine spongiform encephalopathy

A progressive, fatal disease of the nervous system of domestic animals. It is transmitted by eating infected food. Also known as Mad Cow disease.

Mentioned in: Zoonosis

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bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE),

an infection of cattle characterized by degenerative, clumsy, apprehensive behavior, and death. The BSE brain tissue is perforated and spongy in appearance. The disease was first observed in cattle by veterinarians in 1883. It has been associated with other spongiform encephalopathies such as scrapie in sheep and goats and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in humans. In European "mad cow" disease, it is believed the disease was transmitted to cattle through livestock feed that contained remains of scrapie-infected sheep. The disease was then transmitted to humans who ate BSE-infected beef.

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encephalopathy [en-sef″ah-lop´ah-the]

any degenerative disease of the brain.

AIDS encephalopathy HIV encephalopathy.

anoxic encephalopathy hypoxic encephalopathy.

biliary encephalopathy (bilirubin encephalopathy) kernicterus.

bovine spongiform encephalopathy a prion disease of adult cattle in the British Isles with neurologic symptoms. It is transmitted by feed containing protein in the form of meat and bone meal derived from infected animals. The etiologic agent is also the cause of new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Called also mad cow disease.

boxer's encephalopathy (boxer's traumatic encephalopathy) a syndrome due to cumulative head blows absorbed in the boxing ring, characterized by slowing of mental function, occasional bouts of confusion, and scattered memory loss. It may progress to the more serious boxer's dementia. See also postconcussional syndrome.

dialysis encephalopathy a degenerative disease of the brain associated with longterm use of hemodialysis, marked by speech disorders and constant myoclonic jerks, progressing to global dementia.

hepatic encephalopathy a condition, usually occurring secondary to advanced liver disease, marked by disturbances of consciousness that may progress to deep coma (hepatic coma), psychiatric changes of varying degree, flapping tremor, and fetor hepaticus.

HIV encephalopathy (HIV-related encephalopathy) a progressive primary encephalopathy caused by infection with human immunodeficiency virus type I, manifested by a variety of cognitive, motor, and behavioral abnormalities. Called also AIDS encephalopathy.

hypernatremic encephalopathy a severe hemorrhagic encephalopathy induced by the hyperosmolarity accompanying hypernatremia and dehydration.

hypertensive encephalopathy a complex of cerebral phenomena such as headache, convulsions, and coma that occur in the course of malignant hypertension.

hypoxic encephalopathy encephalopathy caused by hypoxia from either decreased rate of blood flow or decreased oxygen content of arterial blood; mild cases cause temporary intellectual, visual, and motor disturbances, and severe cases can cause permanent brain damage within five minutes. Called also anoxic encephalopathy.

lead encephalopathy brain disease caused by lead poisoning.

mitochondrial encephalopathy encephalopathy associated with mitochondrial abnormalities, such as melas syndrome and merrf syndrome.

portal-systemic encephalopathy (portasystemic encephalopathy) hepatic encephalopathy.

progressive subcortical encephalopathy Schilder's disease.

subacute spongiform encephalopathy (transmissible spongiform encephalopathy) prion disease.

traumatic encephalopathy

1. boxer's encephalopathy.

2. postconcussional syndrome.

Wernicke's encephalopathy a neurological disorder characterized by confusion, apathy, drowsiness, ataxia of gait, nystagmus, and ophthalmoplegia; it is due to thiamine deficiency, usually from chronic alcohol abuse. It is almost invariably accompanied by or followed by korsakoff's syndrome and frequently accompanied by other nutritional polyneuropathies. See also wernicke-korsakoff syndrome.

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bovine spongiform encephalopathy

Bovine spongiform encephalitis, BSE, mad cow disease A disease of cattle, characterized by high-stepping or staggering gait, anxiety, ↑ sensitivity, and kicking while being milked, less commonly, frenzy, aggression; BSE was first described in the UK in cows fed with sheep offal. See Prions.